August 31, 2010 · The Environmental Protection Agency is considering new regulations for coal ash. That’s the waste left over from coal-fired power plants. New rules could have a big impact in Texas — the nation’s number one consumer of coal. A plant belonging to the Lower Colorado River Authority and Austin Energy was recently singled out for its handling of the waste product.
Coal ash got a new look from the EPA after more than a billion gallons of the stuff spilled from a storage pond in Tennessee almost two years ago.
NPR archive: “(fade in) Hundreds of acres in east Tennessee remain under a thick layer of coal ash sludge, after a spill this week from a power plant…(fade out)”
It was one of the worst ash spills in US history. Now, the EPA is considering labeling coal ash "hazardous" — which would bring strict new guidelines on how it’s stored and transported. Right now, there are no federal regulations on coal ash — just a patchwork of state regulations. The state of Texas considers most coal ash “level one industrial waste.” That's about as bad as you can get, without being called “hazardous waste.”
Lott: “We’ve had a pretty good track record in Texas overall, we haven’t had any major impacts since the early 70s and 80s.”
Earl Lott is the director of waste permits at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Lott: “We’ve come a long way with enforcement and regulating these facilities. They’re required to file a registration with us, and there are certain criteria they have to meet for storage and handling of this material.”
Carman: “Right now, I would describe the Texas coal ash regulations as riddled with loopholes, and don’t do much in terms of proper regulation.”
Dr. Neil Carman is with the Lone Star chapter of the Sierra Club. He describes the state’s coal ash regulations as really kind of a mess. He points to the Fayette coal plant in La Grange owned by the LCRA and Austin Energy as exhibit A for why federal regulations are needed.
Carman: “There is actually monitoring evidence from LCRA itself that shows there is coal ash contamination under the plant site, and this is a threat to offsite private drinking water wells in the area.”
Ash is stored at the Fayette plant in a pond, in the form of a sludge, which Carman says can and has leeched into groundwater. And it can contain metals like lead, cadmium, selenium and cobalt which can cause a variety of health problems, potentially even death.
The LCRA declined an interview on the subject today, although a spokesperson says the agency plans to begin decommissioning the ash pond at the Fayette plant by the end of this year or early next. A lobbying group for electricity producers in Texas declined to take a position on the proposed regulations — saying they’re looking into it.
The EPA will be holding a public hearing on coal ash regulations in Dallas on September 8th. |
